Garrard County, Kentucky Genealogy

United States

Kentucky

Garrard County

Guide to Garrard County, Kentucky ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Kentucky Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Lancaster Organized: December 17, 1796 Parent County(s): Lincoln, Madison, Mercer Neighboring Counties Boyle  • Jessamine  • Lincoln  • Madison  • Mercer  • Rockcastle See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: KYGenWeb Project who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

Garrard County was named for James Garrard. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Garrard County Courthouse
Public Square
Lancaster, KY 40444
Phone: 859-792-3071
Garrard County Website

Garrard County, Kentucky Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1789	1797	1852	1813	1797	1797	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1911. General compliance by 1917.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. Lost census: 1890

Boundary Changes

1796--Garrard County was created 17 December 1796 from Lincoln, Madison and Mercer Counties. County seat: Lancaster For animated maps illustrating Kentucky county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Kentucky County Boundary Maps" (1776-1939) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Lancaster(county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Bryantsville Bourne Buckeye Buena Vista Camp Nelson (hist.) Cartersville Davistown Hackley Hamack (hist.)	Hyattsville Judson Lowell Manse Marcellus Marksbury McCreary Mount Hebron	Nina Paint Lick Point Leavell Stone Teatersville Three Forks Toddville White Oak

Resources

Biographies

• KY Biographies

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Garrad, Kentucky online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com KYGenWeb KYGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Kentucky Gravestones Billion Graves
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves Kentucky Cemeteries FamilySearch Places
See Kentucky Cemeteries for more information

The following web sites have additional information on Garrad county cemeteries.

• Interment.net, Kentucky cemetery records by county.
• African American Cemeteries Online, Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
• Cemetery Junction, Links to cemetery transcriptions
• Naming the Forgotten, The Eastern State Hospital Project

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	6,186	—
1810	9,186	48.5%
1820	10,851	18.1%
1830	11,871	9.4%
1840	10,480	−11.7%
1850	10,237	−2.3%
1860	10,531	2.9%
1870	10,376	−1.5%
1880	11,704	12.8%
1890	11,138	−4.8%
1900	12,042	8.1%
1910	11,894	−1.2%
1920	12,503	5.1%
1930	11,562	−7.5%
1940	11,910	3.0%
1950	11,029	−7.4%
1960	9,747	−11.6%
1970	9,457	−3.0%
1980	10,853	14.8%
1990	11,579	6.7%
2000	14,792	27.7%
2010	16,912	14.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Garrard County, Kentucky Genealogy census records online, see: Kentucky Census.

• Kentucky Census Transcriptions 1850-1930, USGenWeb
• Census Images, USGenWeb
• KY Census Online, Links to online census records

The 1890 U.S. Federal Census is lost; however, a substitute is available. See Taxation.

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Kentucky denominations, view the Kentucky Church Records wiki page.

• Kentucky Christian Church Directory, ChurchAngel
• Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
• Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

• Abstracts of Early Kentucky Supreme Court Cases, KYGenWeb
• Kentucky Court of Justice Research & Reference

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

More information about African American resources in Kentucky can be found on the African American Resources for Kentucky and the United States African Americans Wiki pages.

• African American Genealogy (US) has more information about the kinds of records available
• The African American Griots Project
• Kentucky Cultural Groups has information specific to Kentucky African Americans.
• Sandi Gorin's Tips, Hangings in Kentucky 1792-1900

Genealogies

Forrest Calico studied many Garrard County families. His large collection of files, kept in Lancaster, Ky., were microfilmed in 1959: FHL Films 183258-183264.

• [Alford] James, Jessamine Bland. Family Records of Andrew Hunter of Louisa County, Virginia, and Jacob Alford of Garrard County, Kentucky, and Charles Alford of Garrard Co., Ky. Copied from Court Records, Bibles, and Tombstones. Typescript. Donated 1958. FHL Fiche 6018643
• [Alford] James, Jessamine Bland. Records of the Andrew Hunter Family of Louisa Co., Virginia, and Jacob Alford Family of Garrard County, Kentucky, and Charles Alford of Garrard County, Kentucky. Typescript, National Library, D.A.R. Microfilmed 1971. FHL Film 854151 Item 6
• [Bainbridge] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
• [Bland] James, Jessamine Bland. Records of the Andrew Hunter Family of Louisa Co., Virginia, and Jacob Alford Family of Garrard County, Kentucky, and Charles Alford of Garrard County, Kentucky. Typescript, National Library, D.A.R. Microfilmed 1971. FHL Film 854151 Item 6
• [Bruce] Smith, Zachary F. and Mary Rogers Clay. The Clay Family. Louisville, Ky.: John P. Morton and Company, 1899. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
• [Finley] Finley, Carmen J. and James D. Finley. Before David: An Addendum to David Finley (1754-1848) of Garrard, Kentucky and Orange County, Indiana. Santa Rosa, Calif.: C.J. Finley, 1983. FHL Book 929.273 F496fca
• [Finley] Finley, Carmen J. "John and Mary Finley of Montgomery (Wythe) County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1990):243-255; Vol. 35, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1991):18-33; Vol. 35, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1991):122-135; Vol. 35, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1991):173-185; Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1991):251-262. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 34 (1990)-v. 35 (1991).
• [Finley] Finley, Carmen J. "John Finley of Montgomery/Wythe County, Virginia: Additional Children Identified," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1995):3-22; Vol. 39, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1995):94-103; Vol. 39, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1995):202-212; Vol. 39, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1995):282-294. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 39 (1995).
• [Frye] Wylie, William Bird. Bird Genealogy. St. Louis, Mo.: W.B. Wylie, 1903. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library; FHL Book 929.273 B532w.
• [Henderson] Robinson, Peggy H. Alexander Hamilton of Garrard County, Kentucky, and His Descendants. Lexington, Ky.: P.H. Robinson, 1975. FHL Book 929.273 A1 no. 2623
• [Hill] Hill, L. Henry. Genealogy of the Hill Family of Garrard and Madison Counties, Kentucky. Evansville, Ind.: Unigraphic, 1978. FHL Book 929.273 H55d
• [Jennings] Loeber, Charles. Jennings Family, Garrard County, Kentucky: Address Delivered ... Consulting Engineer for the Jennings Family Record ... Richmond, Virginia, at a Meeting Held in Garrard County Court House, Lancaster, Kentucky, Monday, December 23rd, 1929 at 7 P.M. Lancaster, Ky.: Printed by the Central Record, 1929. FHL Film 1463955 Item 28.
• [Letcher] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
• [McIntosh] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
• [Robertson] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
• [Rogers] Irwin, Lyndon N. The Rogers Family of Paint Lick and Crab Orchard: Ancestry and Descendants Joseph and Ellen Steward Rogers of Garrard, Rockcastle, and Lincoln Counties in Kentucky. Bois D'Arc and Ozark, Mo.: L. Irwin, 1994. FHL Book 929.273 R632i
• [Sassin] Allen, Cameron. "Francois Sasin/Sassin of Manakin Town: The First Six Generations of the Sassin/Sasseen Family in America," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1993):3-17; Vol. 37, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1993):99-116; Vol. 37, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1993):193-205; Vol. 37, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1993):259-271. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 37 (1993).
• [Warner] Reynolds, Lyman Foster. Peter Warner Born Maryland - Fredrick County: Revolutionary War Soldier (with George Washington in Capture of Trenton) to Lincoln County Kentucky 1780's, Children Settled in Kentucky; Lincoln, Garrard, Boyle, Mercer & Washington Counties; Indiana Putnam County. Louisville, Ky.: L.F. Reynolds, 2007. FHL Book 929.273 W246r

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Kentucky Land and Property for additional information about early Kentucky land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

• The KY Land Office
• The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Garrard County land records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:

1. Deed Books 1797-1802

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Garrard County, Kentucky Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section Kentucky Local Histories.

• Historical Sketches of Lancaster and Garrard County. N.d. By James B. Kinnaird. [Richmond, Kentucky : Garrard County Historical Society]. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
• Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• Abstracts of Pension Papers Pertaining to Soldiers of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Indian wars Who Resided in Garrard County, Kentucky. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Military Resources, Revolutionary War through Civil War.
• Paymaster Records of Regiment. Kentucky Militia 1808-1813. Kentucky Pioneers ($)

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861-1865 - Kentucky Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1861-1865 - Kentucky Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (Free)
• 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry— index (Free)
• 1912-1950 - Kentucky Confederate Pension Applications 1912-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Regiments. Men in Garrard County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:

- 1st Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J and K.

- 1st Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company B.

- 1st Regiment, Kentucky Veteran Cavalry (Wolford's Cavalry) (Union), Company C.

- 3rd Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies A, B, C, E, F, G, H, I and K.

- 4th Regiment, Kentucky Mounted Infantry (Union), Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.

- 7th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.

- 8th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company A.

- 12th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company A.

World War I

• Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY

Korean War

• Korean War Memorial, Korean War Memorial for Soldiers from KY, KYGenWeb

Newspapers

• USNPL, Kentucky, Kentucky newspaper index with links
• World-Newspapers, Kentucky, Kentucky newspaper index with links
• Kentucky Newspapers on Microfilm

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Garrard County, Kentucky Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Garrard County, Kentucky Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).

Obituaries

• Kentucky Footsteps Archives, KYGenWeb
• Kentucky Obituary Sources, KYGenWeb

• Browning Genealogy Database, Compiled by Charles Browning.
• Kentucky Obituaries, USGenWeb
• Afrigeneas, African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
• Obituary Depot, Kentucky Newspaper Citations
• Obituary Daily Times, Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries (Ancestry)
• Nashville Christian Advocate Death Abstracts

Other Records

• Kentucky Postcards, USGenWeb

Probate Records

Probate records are held by the Garrard County, Kentucky Genealogy Clerk of Court and are housed at the Garrard County, Kentucky Genealogy Courthouse. Microfilmed records can be found online at Kentucky, Probate Records, 1792-1977 for Caldwell, Henry, Hickman, Russell and Trimble counties. See the wiki page Kentucky Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.

Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, and adoptions.

Online Probate Records

• 1774-1999 Kentucky Wills and Probate Records 1774-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images.
• 1798-1943 - Will Books 1 to 8 (1798-1943) digitized by FamilySearch . - How to Use this Collection
• Images of Will Book A, 1797-1805; Book B, 1807-1811; Book C. 1805-1809. Kentucky Pioneers ($)

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and slaves aged 21 to 60. These persons are referred to as "polls." Tax listings, or digests, of a county generally list the taxable landowners and other polls and the amount of tax. The records for each county are divided by militia district. For more background information and state-wide resources see the wiki page Kentucky Taxation.

• 1797, 1799 - Kurtz, Harold J. 1797 and 1799 Tax List of Garrard County, Kentucky. Lancaster, Ky.: Garrard County Historical Society, 1990. FHL Book 976.9525 R4k
• 1797-1802 - Kurtz, Harold J. 1797-1802 Taxpayers of Garrard County, Kentucky. Lancaster, Ky.: Garrard County Historical Society, 1990, 1997. FHL Book 976.9525 R48k
• 1800 - 1800 Tax List of Garrard County, Kentucky Genealogy is included in Clift's Second Census of Kentucky 1800, digitized by Ancestry ($).
• 1890 - Kurtz, Harold J. 1890 Tax List of Garrard County, Kentucky. Richmond, Ky.: Garrard County Historical Society, 198-. FHL Book 976.9 A1 no. 347
• Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records, Ancestry ($)

Vital Records

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Although Kentucky enacted a statute in 1852-1862 requiring registration of births and deaths,many counties did not comply. A second law was written in 1874-1879, and 1892-1910 but, again, was not always followed. By 1911, the law was more clearly defined and kept by 1920. Any existing births 1852-1960 and death records 1852-1953 can be accessed online. See How to Find Kentucky Birth Records and How to Find Kentucky Death Records for links to indexes and images.

Original marriage records are held at the office of the Garrard County Clerk, with divorce records 1849-1958 located with the Garrard County Circuit Court. For more information see How to Find Kentucky Marriage Records. For Kentucky divorce records see the wiki page Kentucky Vital Records.

Birth

• 1839-1960 - Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1852-1859 - Garrard County Birth Index 1852-1859. Batch C517371 at FamilySearch
• 1874 - Garrard County Birth Index 1874. Batch C517372 at FamilySearch
• 1875 - Garrard County Birth Index 1875. Batch C517373 at FamilySearch
• 1911-1912 - Searchable KY Birth Index
• 1911-1999 Kentucky Births, 1911-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Marriage

• 1609-2016 - Kentucky, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1785-1979 - Kentucky Marriages 1785-1979 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1797-1954 - Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
  
• 1852-1859 - Garrard County Marriage Index 1852-1859. Batch M517371 at FamilySearch
• 1875 - Garrard County Marriage Index 1875. Batch M517374 at FamilySearch
• 1876-1878 - Garrard County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch M517375 at FamilySearch
• 1973-2000 - Searchable KY Marriage Records
• 1973-2000 - Kentucky Marriage Records 1973-2000
• 1960-1993 Kentucky Marriages, 1960-1993 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

• 1843-1970 - Kentucky Deaths and Burials 1843-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1911-1965 - Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1911-2000 - Searchable KY Death Index
• 1900-1999 Kentucky Deaths, 1900-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• United States Social Security Death Index - How to Use this Collection
• The Kentucky Vital Records Project, Transcriptions and Images of Kentucky Death Certificates

Divorce

• 1973-1993 - Kentucky Divorces 1973-1993, University of Kentucky Vital Records Databases

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Garrard County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Kentucky Archives and Libraries.

• Archives of Appalachia
  East Tennessee State University
  Website

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Garrard County. For state-wide library facilities, see Kentucky Archives and Libraries.

Societies

Listed below are societies in Garrard County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Kentucky Societies.

• Garrard County Historical Society
  208 Danville St,
  Lancaster, KY 40444
  Telephone: 859-792-9786
  
• Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies

Websites

• Garrard County, KY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Garrard Co. KYGenWeb
• KYGenWeb project. Has maps, name indexes, history or other information for each county. Select the county.
• State of Kentucky Website
• USGenWeb Kentucky Archives
• The USGenWeb project May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• Garrard County,Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
  
• Garrard County KY Genealogy (Kentucky Genealogy)
• FamilySearch Catalog . Free - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.